Positive affirmations aren't just some new wave way to hype yourself before an interview. Chanting, "I am qualified," is both a state of being, and backed by decades old research.

Psychologist Claude Steele first proposed self-affirmation theory in the 1980s. His argument was that people have a flexible sense of self-worth built from several sources: relationships, values, competence in different areas, and that reconnecting with one of those sources under threat can buffer the sting of that threat, even when the threat is to yourself, and when the threat has nothing to do with what you're affirming.

A widely cited 2013 review by psychologist David Sherman, Self-Affirmation: Understanding the Effects, summarizes decades of self-affirmation studies, and lays out what happens physiologically. Self-affirmation helps you stay less defensive when facing health risks and reduces physical stress in everyday life. A college student preparing for an exam wrote briefly about what they cared about before the exam and showed no epinephrine, the stress hormone tied fight-or-flight. When compared to a group who did not try the same exercise, a rise in the stress hormone was shown.

But here's the part that gets lost in the affirmation conversation: it has to be a specific and genuine connection to something that matters to you. "I am smart and confident" isn't just a mantra but an authentic feeling of who you are. That distinction matters. A generic pep talk might not carry weight, but a specific one, tied to who you are, or what you've done can keep your nerves from derailing your interview.

Ultimately, none of this replaces preparation. To land the job, you need to know what you're doing. Affirmations may not make you more qualified, but they stop the fear from stealing your moment.